In the food industry, lifting devices are used for feeding food processing machines, for example filling machines, in particular vacuum filling machines or cutters. These lifting devices are usually formed as arm-operated lifting devices or as mast lifting devices and can be installed on a machine, for example a filling machine or a cutter, or also be formed as an independent unit (“stand-alone unit”). These lifting devices are designed to receive partially standardized containers, i.e. so-called meat trolleys. The meat trolleys are equipped with rollers. In this, the meat trolley is typically inserted in the receiving unit of the lifting device in a way that it is locked securely against falling out, i.e. that it is held in a firm position and that it is brought upwards with the lifting unit through a filling funnel of a filling machine. There, the meat trolley will then be tilted and emptied into the filling funnel. Subsequently, the meat trolley is brought back into the starting position by means of the lifting device and taken back out by the operator through release of the lock on the lifting device. During feeding of cutters, the cutter bowl is fed accordingly.
During transport of the full meat trolley to the machine over a mostly wet floor, the wheels and an undertray of the trolley, may be covered with contaminated spray water from the floor. During the feeding process, the meat trolley is located upside down above the aperture of the filling funnel. Thereby, the spray water or condensate at the outer walls of the container on the undertray of the meat trolley and in the wheel area can flow down over the external walls of the meat trolley and enter the filling funnel and contaminate the content.
A lifting device with a cover device in form of a hinged hood to prevent impurities of the meat trolley from entering the funnel is already known from the DE 195 00 326 A1. The cover device has several folding plates that start on the upper meat trolley edge. Here, in particular the hygiene of the folding mechanism as well as the high workload and the high manufacturing costs are disadvantageous. Besides, there are additional risks due to the danger of body parts, e.g. fingers, getting caught/squeezed. In addition, each cover device is only suitable for a specific meat trolley type.
Starting from this, the present disclosure is based on the purpose of providing a receiving basket and/or a lifting device as well as a respective method that prevents contamination of the food product during the feeding process by the spray water from the floor in a simple, reliable and cost-efficient way.
According to the present disclosure, the receiving basket for a lifting device has a sealing element that can lay itself onto at least one external wall of the meat trolley. When the meat trolley is tilted in an upper position, the sealing element prevents spray water from the floor area or the edges of the meat trolley or condensate from flowing into the funnel in such a way that the food product can be filled into a filling funnel. The sealing element is installed on the receiving basket in a way that, when the meat trolley is received by the receiving basket and sealed mechanically, the sealing element can lay itself in a sealing way onto at least one external wall of the sealing trolley. Thereby, the sealing element presses onto the external wall of the meat trolley in a way that reliable sealing is ensured. According to the present disclosure, no extra step is required for sealing, but sealing occurs automatically during insertion and attachment and/or locking of the meat trolley. Hence, sufficient sealing against spray water flowing down is always ensured. A respective sealing element on the receiving basket can be provided simply and cost-efficiently. The sealing element can thereby be fastened in a simple manner on the side surface that faces the meat trolley and/or on the upper and/or the lower surface of the receiving basket.
It is particularly preferable when the sealing element is formed as a sealing strip. A respective longish sealing strip, i.e. a drip protection strip, can be manufactured and fastened on the receiving basket in a simple way. The sealing strip is thereby designed so as to extend over the total length of the meat trolley at least on a tilting side.
Preferably, the sealing strip is formed at least in part of a flexible material. The flexible material comes with the advantage that the meat trolley can put pressure on the sealing element whereby the sealing function is improved. The form and manufacturing tolerances as well as deformations of the meat trolley can be compensated thereby. Preferably, the flexible material of the sealing element can be one of the group of elastomers.
Particularly preferably, the sealing element has a flexible sealing lip that can press on the meat trolley in order to achieve a particularly good sealing effect.
The receiving basket is preferably formed as a U-shaped support structure, whereby the sealing element extends at least along one of the three sides of the support structure. Preferably at least along the tilting side. The tilting side is the side of the receiving basket that faces the machine and that is oriented in a downward direction during a tilting movement; here the side that is opposite to the open side of the U-shaped support structure. Embodiments also for instance exist in which the opening of the U points towards the operator side, in this case the tilting side adjoining the open side. If a sealing element, in particular a sealing strip, is provided at least along the tilting side, waste water can be prevented effectively from flowing from the floor and/or the rollers of the meat trolley into the funnel.
Advantageously, the sealing element extends along multiple sides of the support structure. The sealing element can thereby comprise either multiple individual sealing strips or also be formed as a continuous L- or U-shaped sealing strip.
Advantageously, the sealing strip is formed in a way that a gutter can be formed between the receiving basket and the meat trolley. Therefore, spray water can be collected in the gutter when the meat trolley is tilted for emptying. The spray water can for example be guided from the gutter behind the machine to the floor already during the tilting process. Due to the sealing element being located on the receiving basket, the gutter seal and/or gutter is implemented in the lower area, i.e. lower third of the meat trolley. If then, for example, a respective gutter is implemented on the tilting side by means of the sealing strip, this area will always be outside of the funnel so that drained spray water cannot flow into the funnel.
It can thereby be advantageous if the gutter is situated preferably at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the respective side of the receiving basket, i.e. at least sectionally. This means that, viewed for example in an initial position of the meat trolley, the sealing strip is situated at an angle α in relation to the horizontal line. In the inclined version of the sealing strip, the spray water can be drained out of the critical area even better.
It is also possible for the sealing strip to have lateral sealing elements that seal the gutter laterally. Thereby, the sealing strip can be sealed respectively on one side of the receiving basket, or rather the respective end pieces in case of L- or U-shaped sealing strips. Then, the collected spray water will only flow out of the gutter onto the floor if the emptied meat trolley is lowered, i.e. when the meat trolley is tilted back.
The sealing element is preferably installed in a replaceable way. This comes with the advantage that the sealing elements can be removed easily for cleaning purposes. However, it is also possible that different strips are to be provided for different applications and that they can be replaced accordingly. Therefore, there can for example be a simple adaptation to different meat trolley geometries.
According to the present disclosure, a lifting device for receiving, lifting and emptying of a meat trolley in a food processing machine comprises a drive, a lifting element, e.g. a lifting arm or lifting mast. The lifting device further has a receiving basket connected to the lifting element for receiving a meat trolley.
A filling machine according to the present disclosure for filling of a pasty substance has a funnel for filling the pasty mass, a conveyer system to convey the pasty mass and a filling organ, in particular a filling pipe. A relevant filling machine has the lifting device according to the present disclosure that was mentioned before.
To implement a sufficient seal between meat trolleys and the receiving basket, it is alternatively also possible that the sealing element, e.g. the sealing strip, is not fastened on the receiving basket but instead on the external wall of the meat trolley so that the sealing element can lay itself onto at least one side of a receiving basket of a lifting device of the food processing machine. Thereby, the sealing element is, just as in the preceding embodiments, disposed in the lower third of the meat trolley. Consequently, a sufficient sealing effect can be achieved as well in a simple way and automatically if the meat trolley is inserted and fastened and/or locked in the receiving basket.
The following steps are to be provided in the method according to the present disclosure for feeding a food processing machine, in particular a filling machine:
inserting and fastening of a meat trolley filled with pasty substance in a receiving basket of the lifting device, whereby a long sealing point is formed at least between an external wall of the meat trolley and a respective opposite side of the receiving basket. Thereby, a sealing element, in particular a sealing strip, can be provided, as described before, either on the receiving basket or rather on the meat trolley.
The meat trolley is subsequently lifted and emptied. Then, the meat trolley is lowered and removed, i.e. unlocked and moved away.
As a gutter is formed between the receiving basket and the meat trolley, the spray water can flow from the floor of the meat trolley into the gutter while the meat trolley is swiveled for the emptying process. Therefore, it is ensured that this spray water cannot flow into the funnel. The sealing element is installed on the receiving basket or the meat trolley in a way that a correct sealing function is ensured. In one example, a gutter extends at least along the total width of the meat trolley side on the tilting side.
As described before, the sealing element can be fastened either on the receiving basket or on the meat trolley for the implementation of the seal and/or the gutter. The special features described for the sealing element in connection with the receiving basket shall apply in the same way for the formation of the sealing element if it is fastened on the meat trolley. Both embodiments allow for the existence of a sealing point between the receiving basket and the meat trolley in the lower area of the meat trolley in order to prevent spray water from flowing into the funnel when the meat trolley is tilted. The embodiment in which the sealing element is fastened on the receiving basket may be advantageous, as only one measure will be necessary on the receiving basket and as not every single meat trolley will have to be equipped accordingly.
The gutter extends at least on the tilting side along the total width of the meat trolley. On the other sides, a respective gutter can also be formed in a slightly shorter way.
The receiving basket and/or the lifting device also has a latching device that locks and fastens the meat trolley in a way that the lateral surface of the container has a predefined distance from the surface of the receiving basket that faces the container, i.e. that it is located in a predefined position. Then, i.e. when the meat trolley is not installed, the sealing element has a width that is larger than this distance. This means that a pressure is applied on the sealing element in the installed state in a way that a sufficient sealing effect is ensured.
According to the present disclosure the sealing element can also be formed as an inflatable element. This is particularly advantageous as meat trolleys with different geometries can be used by different factories or meat trolleys, and this can have severe traces of use, i.e. they can be severely deformed. An inflatable sealing element can ideally adapt to the outer contour of the meat trolley and thereby ensure a reliable sealing. It is also possible that the sealing element is not fully inflated before inserting the meat trolley, and once the meat trolley is fully inserted, which can be detected for instance by a switch or a lock or sensor, it can be fully inflated.